In Spite of War
by LookinForLuk
Summary: Sengoku Rancex F/SN Crossover Your would think that saving people was a simple matter...wait what do you mean it's not? Shirou is faced with the reality that if he wishes to save people, he should be prepare to shed blood and face more than a few troublesome problems regarding his mission. An attempt in fitting Shirou into a role he could never fill.
1. Chapter 1

In Spite of War.

By LookinForLuk

Chapter 1 – The Decision

The Holy Grail War wasn't really a war, though I guess Holy Grail Battle royal, or Holy Grail Contest, didn't really have that ring to it. I mean sure in the end the casualties numbers almost a thousand, and magic beyond most mortal understanding and imagination was casted. Perhaps it was the pride of Mages pride wounded by the fact that their mundane counterparts _truly_ knew war.

They fought with millions, and in the millions were the casualties. Weapons so powerful were brought to bear by the mundane, weapons with such firepower that only those who have transcended simple mage craft and descended into sorcery had any hope to match.

So to call a tournament in the town of Fuyuki a war was as stupid as calling the petty feud between two arrogant teenagers a war though some who have watched a shouting match between Tohsaka Rin and Luviagelita Edelfelt would disagree with that statement.

Shirou tended to call it a disaster waiting to happen. Though he regretted saying it out loud once during lunch which definitely didn't earn him any points to the already irritable Tohsaka heiress who already had an earlier spat which the blonde noblewoman.

To his credit he was right as it was exactly the result of one of their spats that landed him in his current predicament. It seemed no amount of years on the battlefield and facing creatures beyond the imagination could prepare you when an Edelfelt and Tohsaka go to town on each other.

~1~

In the past years he had travelled to the Middle East, Africa and eventually even his own home region became a battlefield as Asia-Pacific relations finally reached critical mass. He had seen mighty convoys of military grade steel travel across deserts littered with explosives. The cruelty of ambitious warlords and mighty armada's with their great cannons roar in anger as they approached the enemy.

However nothing ever quite prepared him for the scene he saw in front of him.

The sight of a thousand men clash, not in guns or explosives, but in armour and steel as they charged at each other determined to end each other's lives with their own hands. Blood flew as limbs, torso and head were subjected to barbaric acts before being trampled on as men behind took the positions of the deceased.

This was the most primitive definition of war, the truest definition. One without grandeur or glory, but of blood and tragedy…It was sick.

"Do you not like the sight in front of you?"

"Who could enjoy this?!" He seethed.

The man had talked earlier behind him did not flinch at his tone, he merely sat relaxed in his seat while his little sister clung to his sleeve, she unlike her brother was quiet distraught.

"Why? Do you not believe in the songs and tales of bards and musicians, of the praise and glories they sing? Do they not cry of the beauty of the battlefield and the romance of the battle?"

Shirou tried to protest to call them all fools yet could say nothing at all, after all wasn't he just the same? Hadn't he admired the tales of heroes as they clashed with evil and rivals? Hadn't Saber or his father shed blood for the greater good and as such had tales of their deeds made known across the world?

Yet wasn't that hypocrisy the basis of his ideals? He was a fool who fought for others but refused for others to fight for himself, who would fight till he breaks knowing he would never let the opposite occur.

"You said you wished to see peace and to save people in Japan. While admirable we both know such an act is futile, after all for every life you save another hundred are slain elsewhere.

Shirou could not deny that, to save everyone was a miracle not even the Holy Grail could grant.

"Then how do I make the war stop?" It was a desperate question, one born of hopelessness as he stared at the battlefield before him.

"End the war."

This was not the voice of a tired man sitting next to his sister, no now it was the voice of Oda Nobunaga, the warlord who in another world, in another life would make his name feared across Japan.

"End it as quickly and ruthlessly as possible, remove all borders and unify Japan under one banner. Then and only then shall Japan see peace. "

Shrou could only look agape at him as Nobunaga raised his arm, and almost immediately the marching of almost two hundred mobilizing troops could be heard.

"End this battle, and gain the respect of my army. Then Oda is yours Shirou Emiya." He had to stop as he started coughing.

"Brother! Don't push yourself…"

Oda gently pushed Kou away from him, before smiling weakly at Rance.

"What do you say my friend? Willing to do this sick man a favour?"

Shirou could only watched shocked at Nobunaga's proposal, last night Nobunaga had proposed the idea before but back then he was drunk and Shirou thought he was joking. Now though he wasn't so sure.

He made to reply but he was interrupted as a messenger rushed in.

"Sir the right flank is struggling it seems Ranmaru is unable to break through, Lord Shibata is holding but Maeda is struggling to hold his ground on the right."

It was then Shirou noticed that the sounds of battle had been slowly approaching since the beginning of the conversation. It seemed the enemy was making headway in trying to breakthrough into the army's headquarters.

"It is do or die Emiya Shirou; you have to shift the tides of battle if you wish to accomplish anything."

It was the last push he needed.

"I'll go."

"Good, Kou please get help Emiya get ready."

"Yes, broth-"As Kou made to stand up she was interrupted.

"That won't be necessary, will the troops be ready?" Shirou asked.

A captain who just recently appeared spoke up.

"The troops are ready, we are awaiting your command my lord."

'Well that was weird way to be addressed', Shirou thought. Though it made sense as if all went to plan he would be pretty much the leader of Oda. He still wasn't quite sure he wanted that yet though.

As he let himself get led away, the blueprints of two familiar swords lie in ready, and his hands twitched as if anticipation of grasping swords.

~1~

Welcome to my story which I admit isn't great but I think satisfactory for a first attempt. Geez, one of the most annoying things with this was due to the crossover I really intended this to be more of a comedy light hearted thing, with a splash of dark elements here and there.

Instead all I get is a Serious Shirou who I'm struggling to figure how to use in the story yet still have a lot of the more…err…_interesting_ elements.

Though I take it as a challenge I will enjoy.

In which case I'm struggling to decide on how honorifics should be used in this story, as I found the use of –kun, - sama, and etc all to have rather inaccurate assumptions within the western anime community and in many cases I personally cringe whenever I see it.

So I decided to stick the English equivalents for both your enjoyment and to stop those with in-depth knowledge of the Japanese language not murder me for murdering the Japanese language.

Though if people prefer the honorific system I would be more than happy to switch to it and do some light editing.

Also like many fanfics relating to F/SN I like to thank Gabriel Blessing for the inspiration and also for getting me into Type Moon in the first place, also Marcus Galen Sands and Neolfa who have also written great fiction that I enjoyed immensely as well Daneel Rush who has inspired my own writing style with his own.


	2. Chapter 2

In Spite of War.

By LookinForLuk

Chapter 2 –The Debut

"Brother are you sure about letting Emiya lead Oda? We did just meet him yesterday." The worry was clear in her voice, and who wouldn't be anxious in the face of such uncertainty?

Pat, Pat.

"Kou young beautiful girls like you should not worry about such things, how about you get me some tea?"

Kou blushed as she yelled indignantly at her brother, "Brother stop patting me, you're taking this too lightly!"

~2~

Shirou examined the soldiers; no doubt they were just as sceptical as he was of them. However there were no time for great speeches or convince the troops to defend his life. No for now he could only simply lead.

No one so much as blinked as trace copies of Kanshou and Bakuya appeared in his arms, in a world were magic and youkai were more common occurrences then legends and myth. The simple act of summoning a weapon from thin air did not disturb them.

As Shirou turned towards the battlefield he only had one command, which despite the sounds of battle not far away rang clear to all one hundred and fifty men who were ready for battle.

"Follow me."

"OOOHHH!"

And so the debut of Shirou's military career began.

Oda Nobuyuki looked at the battlefield; it was going well from what he saw. Nobunaga's own army had struggled and while the two lieutenants Shibata and Ranmaru held their ground the rest of the army was failing.

It was all going according to plan, with the decline in health of Oda Nobunaga. The forces loyal to him just did not possess the martial power they needed to overcome the numbers advantage he had attained.

He motioned for a messenger to come forth.

"Tell Kubota Houge to push the right flank, with that not Shibata can hold an attack coming from two sides."

As the messenger sent off he mused on what to do with his deposed brother as he acquired Owari. He could care less about his older brother; perhaps he would even show mercy and let him open that Dango shop his brother kept joking about when they were younger.

Though the same could not be said for his sister Kou, he needed to acquire the loyalty of the Nobunaga group if he wanted to bring the Oda back to power and reacquire much of its lost territory.

A political marriage between the two would be perfect, while she was young there would be no doubt of her beauty and besides incest wasn't the most uncommon thing. The only problem was separating her from his brother, though in his sick state it was only a matter of cutting him down if he resisted.

However his thoughts were cut off as he noticed that his army was slowly backpedalling.

Kubota's forces which were pushing onto the buckling forces of Nobunaga seemed to have had their momentum stopped cold.

Nobuyuki frowned, had he made a tactical error? Did he misjudge the frailty of the loyalty forces frontline? Then he saw it, the line of what seemed like reinforcements not more than two hundred slowly penetrate Kubota's flank. For a Nobuyuki was worried, however he calmed himself. Shibata and Ranmaru, the strongest warriors of the Oda faction were currently tied up holding the centre and opposite flank and with Nobunaga too sick to even lift a blade Nobunaga lacked any more martial talent.

While Houge may not have his name known throughout the lands, he had seen the man's strength for himself as he was capable of killing five men in one swing from his spear. As the tip of the flanking force approached the cluster of flags that signified the rebel general honour guard, Nobuyuki allowed himself a smile.

As Shirou led the charge into the side of the enemy forces, he felt himself hesitate slightly. He was about to use his swords that he reserved for saving, to massacre dozens of men. Men who held no guilt and committed no sin other than being conscripted by the enemy, then he simply let go.

The unfortunate soul to be his first victim barely had time to register the flanking forces before a blur of black and white sheared off his right arm.

Shirou was unstoppable, no longer was he thinking about the moral or ethics of his actions. No longer were his ideals causing him to hesitate, all that mattered in his mind was to end this battle as quickly as possible.

So with his swords he cut his way towards the enemy general. The poor soldiers in his way didn't stand a chance, his progress was too fast and his action too sudden. His soldiers rushed into the opening he had created and used the momentum to push back the bewildered enemy force.

Later many would sing of how he danced through the battlefield leaving nothing but a red river in his wake. But currently to the forces of Nobuyuki he was nothing but landslide unstopping in its charge and crushing all resistance.

"My Lord it seems there is a flanking force on our right that seems to have penetrated our formation. It looked about to number less than two hundred."

Kubota Houge snorted dismissingly.

"Pfft leave the suicidal mooks to the peasants, I want to claim Nobunaga's head before Azuki can break through."

"But sir, there seems to be someone cutting right through our forces and heading here."

Houge finally shifted his eyes to look at the situation, what he saw made his face flush red with anger.

"HA?! Are these peasants so useless they can't take down a poor servant boy who can't even afford armour?"

He roared as he tightened his grip on his spear and marched towards the incoming threat.

"Come I'll show you the true might of Kubota Houge mightiest warrior of the Oda army!"

It was with that shout he was unceremoniously beheaded along with his honour guard, as Shirou unhesitatingly rushed the general's position. As his men soon gathered around him, the troops around him all cried in shock and fear.

"General Kubota Houge is dead! Kubota Houge is dead!"

The entire force which had previously been crushing the right flank of the loyalty forces now found themselves on the back foot as news of their generals death echoed across the battlefield.

As their morale fell the Nobunaga forces found a second win and pushed back the right wing of the Nobuyuki forces.

Shirou himself had begun to pull his forces back to recover their stamina, even he felt drained and his hands were almost numb from the exertion he had put on them. The relentless massacre had left hi nowhere near his limit but even he couldn't help but appreciate the brief rest.

One of his men walked up to him holding a flask as he bowed his head.

"My Lord please have some water, your efforts must have tired you."

Shirou accepted it gratefully and took the opportunity to take a look at his forces, it seemed his losses were minimal due to the shock and awe effect his charge had on the enemy troops. Even in the withdrawal the enemy seemed unwilling to fight, still unable to believe the loss of one of their generals.

If there was one thing that was clearly different however was the way he was looked at. Before he was nothing but a young man who's their Lord had taken a whimsical interest in. However his display of martial prowess had earned him their respect. Perhaps no their trust but for the moment it was enough.

Nobunaga observed the battlefield quiet pleased with himself as his officers and even Kou sat flabbergasted at such a quick turn of the tide.

It was only when the head of Oda sighed did the group come out of their stupor. Kou decided to inquire on his reaction.

"Brother, Emiya really is strong do you still think we're going to lose?"

She was almost scared, were her hopes to be dashed as soon as they were raised?

"Oh no I think we'll easily win thanks to the actions of Emiya, but…"

Nobunaga let himself trail off, much to the chagrin of Kou and the senior officers in their company.

"But?"

Putting on a show of disappointment, he tiredly whined.

"But now we won't be able to run away and open up a Dango restaurant!"

"BROOTTHEERRR!"

Nobuyuki could not believe Houge was dead; the man's strength was only matched by Shibata in his prime before his injury recently. To be dispatched so easily by some random no name was unthinkable. Had it been ninja's? No, that flanking attack would not have been the actions of a ninja.

However none of it mattered now, he needed to reform his formations and bring back the momentum to his favour.

Picking up his own spear, it seemed he personally had to go to the field.

As he moved to reform the right flank he yelled out across the battlefield, to his credit almost the entire rebel army heard his speech despite the noise of battle.

"True Oda warriors, Nobunaga is weak and continues to rely on underhanded tricks to win his battles. The murder of Kubota Houge is evidence of their dishonour. Do not run for they will no doubt stab your backs without mercy! Fight men of Oda; show that we are the strongest warriors in the land!"

With that rallying cry Nobuyuki and his personal troops joined the fray re-rallying the demoralized right flank and refocusing a push onto the central army commanded by Shibata Katsui.

Emiya narrowed his eyes and he saw the battlefield develop. With the heavily wounded evacuated he had little more than a hundred troops left, while he hadn't suffer major casualties due to the relatively small size of his force the fifty troop gap In his forces was a huge blow.

Even more importantly he had to keep himself in check, this was the first time he had fought in a battle like this. He had thought in the dry sands of Afghanistan, and have been involved in the almost melee fire fights in the alleyways and streets of Mosul and Baghdad. He had landed into battlefield by land and water and had witnessed boys not yet old enough to drink alcohol been blasted to pieces with machine gun fire, and artillery scream into heavily defended positions while aircraft screeched overhead at supersonic speeds.

However a battlefield of blades was different. Everything happening was just so _close_, he had of course killing people with his swords but never in such numbers so quickly. It had drained him, not physically but mentally and emotionally. He almost wanted to vomit but he wouldn't allow himself.

'I can't afford to show weakness to these men,' he thought as he allowed himself a glance from the battlefield to his men.

'Not when their relying on me'

Looking back on the battlefield he saw the choice, the one action it would take to close out this war quickly and decisively.

He nodded to the captain behind him, apparently the man who used to be in charge before him, now his second in command.

"Have the men prepared for battle once again, it's time to end this. "

Shibata Katsui warrior, general, lolicon was struggling. His forces were tiring and he himself was starting to run out of breath before he pulled back from the frontlines to give direction to the troops.

So despite his usual optimism even he couldn't but groan as he was forced to take the brunt of Nobuyuki's attack. Out of the corner of his eye he could note Ranmaru desperately trying to force her men forward in order to drive off her opponent and send reinforcements to his side.

He appreciated the effort, but he wasn't the kind of guy to just sit back and wait for reinforcements especially if the enemy commander in chief was right before him.

Shibata roared in challenge, "Nobuyuki finally we may settle things between us. Let us end things here and now!"

With that he surged into the frontline, pushing towards Nobuyuki's own position.

"Cheh, what a fool do you think I will like an imbecile like you even touch me?" Nobuyuki replied as he simple withdrew further away from the advancement of Shibata.

"Bah cowardice has many names but I never thought Nobuyuki would be one of them!" Shibata shouted as he saw Nobuyuki withdraw. Despite that he continued to press onwards each swing of halberd slicing apart three, four men at a time.

Nobuyuki only snorted at the taunt, and he simply signalled to one of his lieutenants.

"Have the troops focused down on Shibata he has overextended like a fool, it will not be long before he runs out of strength and troops."

Shibata grunted as he noticed more and more troops concentrate their efforts on him, despite his dire predicament he grinned. Despite his optimism, his muscled body and his penchant for being over the top, he was not the fool many thought he was.

One did not simply make it to the top of the Oda military hierarchy by being an idiot. No he had already seen something that Nobuyuki did not, and acted upon. So despite his troops slowly being cut down one by one and his arms beginning tire he merely smiled at the rebel warlord then with a great bellow, yelled.

"NOBUYUKI!"

The volume was so loud it even took the young rebel lord by surprise.

"OUR LORD NOBUNAGA'S SWORD HAS ARRIVED!"

It was at that he heard the loud screech of steel meeting steel barely a metre in front of him as his bodyguards just barely parried a blow from a Shirou Emiya.

Shirou had once again decided to dive deep into the enemy formations, his small unit cutting a swath of enemies and they made their way to Nobuyuki's position. It was harder this time round, the troops were more ready and also apparently more trained. It seemed he was now fighting the crack troops instead of the militia and it showed.

His men that lagged behind him could barely keep up; as they desperately tried to push open a path.

It couldn't be helped though, what were the lives of a hundred men when if he ended the battle now he could save thousands?

However for Shirou that was neither here nor now. He needed to focus, on the blades coming for him, the bodies blocking him, and the target in front of him. He had wanted to just use his bow and snipe him from afar, but it seemed his bodyguards were trained well and covered most of the openings. So he had to go for the brute force approach.

So once again Bakuya and Kanshou turned into blurs as his arms slashed about franticly in an effort to mow down soldiers faster than they can replace.

Perhaps it was the fact that he had started to separate himself from his troops but it seemed Nobuyuki still had not noticed his approach and in fact thanks to the taunt of Shibata had pulled back from the frontlines, and fortunately _towards him_. Silently thanking the eccentric man he focused more on closing in.

The troops became more and more trained, as he started working his way into the elite.

"Kill him. Do not let him near our lord!"

However despite their best attempts he parried and dodged, his circuits boiling with the reinforcement he was coursing through his body.

_So close_, but every metre became harder, the soldiers more ready and better equipped. His arms became more tired and his circuits ached. However what was the pain of his body compared to the lives of hundreds?

So as Shibata bellowed out his announcement he leapt.

Almost gracefully he flew through the air, like a hawk he arced before diving down on his target. If he was on point he would cleanly decapitate Nobuyuki before he would even turn, but he had underestimated one thing.

"Protect Lord Nobuyuki!"

His dive was met with half a dozen spears that forced him back.

Cursing Shirou noticed he was completely surrounded and Nobuyuki himself had his spear ready, his anger clear on his bloodshot eyes and he glared at him.

"You dare attempt to harm me? Me who is the only one strong enough to lead the Oda"

Shirou did not speak; no perhaps it was right to say he could not afford to speak. At this point at the peak of his exhaustion every breath counts. Even now each breath brought him more strength, as he thought of a solution to his predicament.

Then almost like a gift from god, the pride of nobles came into effect.

"Stand aside I shall take care of this mongrel myself, the shame to my name should I back away from a low-life no-name not even wearing armour.

Shirou grinned as his breathing began to slow and the surrounding soldiers began to back off forming a circle.

"My Lord I don't think it's wi-"

One of bodyguards attempted to stop the young noble, but what he got instead was a stab through the abdomen.

"How dare you! Do you not only wish to see my name sullied by this peasant but also of insubordination too? You insolent fool."

He then turned to Shirou.

"Now come, I shall show the true difference between us."

Shirou needed no more invitation and threw himself at the man.

Normally in a battle been swords and spear, the spear user held the advantage as it had the reach however…

"Goddamn barbarian!"

Shirou's earlier charge negated that by putting himself quiet almost in Nobuyuki's face.

Shirou's swords came down relentlessly forcing his opponent to stay on the defensive as he gave him no room to breathe.

As his opponent was forced back, Shirou raised Kanshou high and with the full might of his reinforced body brought it down on the spear Nobuyuki was holding it defensively horizontal.

The result was a loud noise not unlike a tolling bell the action severing the steel spear in two and cutting a deep gash diagonally across the torso.

Nobuyuki could only stare up into the sky in shock. Had he just be beaten? When he was trained since young by the finest instructors in the land, and whiles no match for his brother was arguably the second most martially proficient man in the Owari region.

How could he have been defeated by a mere man who looked no older than him, with no background, history or fame to speak of? Curse the Heaven's, curse him for being born before Nobunaga, curse them for their favour of his older brother and above curse them for letting his name be forever tarnished by his defeat.

Curse….it…

It was with his defeat and eventual death did the rebelling army finally lost the will to fight. The loyal armies roared in victory as Shirou merely stood in the midst of it and allowing himself to slowly drop to the ground.

Despite everything, despite the bloodshed, despite the fact that he was sitting in what could be said to be a puddle of blood. He allowed himself a small grin before releasing a sigh.

"It's over."

~2~

This was surprisingly easy to write, though I'm unsure of the quality. It's the first time I have tried writing a battle of this scale and honestly I'm quite scared if I managed to pull it off. The only comparable scene I can think of in fanfiction would be the suicide run Shirou did in "Hill of Swords"

I have to admit this was partly inspired by the manga Kingdom, which I really wanted to imitate in terms of the way war and battle is portrayed.

I welcome any feedback especially in regards to how I portrayed the battle, as I intend to portray quite a few throughout this story. It's hard not to after all in a story concerning the most famous Warring Era of Japan.

Until next time.


	3. Chapter 3

In Spite of War- Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – An introduction

Shirou stood tiredly as he carefully eyed the troops surrounding him; despite their hesitance their eyes gave away their anger. It was not surprising, after all the man they swore their lives to protect now lay dead by his hand.

Revenge was no doubt running through their mind as they circled around him cautiously.

Muscled protested as he raised his swords into a guard position, he weighed his options and considered trying to simply break through towards the frontline, however the bodyguards of Nobuyuki would not let that happen easily. While he could easily dispatch the entire retinue shortly he had every single soldier in the vicinity all with swords and spears levelled against him. It seemed for the third time that day; he would be forced to cut himself a path.

Then a loud commotion was heard, and its source was approaching quickly.

Knocking away anyone who attempted to stand in his way Shibata Katsui forced his way into the circle his own personal guard cutting a swath into the demoralized troops.

Making his way into towards Shirou he ignored the angry glares of the enemy troops.

"Yesterday, I saw you with my Lord Nobunaga. I did not have a chance to speak introduce myself but I am Shibata Katsui, General of the Oda army."

Shirou gave one last glance to the troops who now seemed nervous at the additional reinforcements before giving a nod to the newcomer.

"Shirou Emiya."

"Good," he said before he turned to the troops and bellowed. "THE TRAITOR COMMANDER NOBUYUKI HAS BEEN DEFEATED BY EMIYA SHIROU!"

The resulting cry echoed across the whole battlefield as both armies stopped to process the meaning behind the announcement.

It did not take long though, for the Nobunaga loyalist forces it simply meant one thing.

"UUUOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!"

Victory.

~3~

With the rebel army eventually surrendering the battle was soon handed to the bureaucrats as the untouched reserves moved forward to tend to the battlefield and the hard job of listing the dead began.

Those who had fought throughout the battle though were treated to a simple but satisfactory victory feasts as soldiers enjoyed their first major military victory since the Oda's slow decline after the death of the previous Oda head.

Emiya Shirou on the other hand was entreated to a different honour.

"You know despite being the man who quite simply, singled handily won us that battle, you don't look so happy." Mused Oda Nobunaga as he nodded gratefully as Kou served him a small plate of wine.

Shirou merely shook his head, "Despite our victories it's a shame that so many lives were lost. Especially since a good number of them were by my hands…"

The two sat in silence for a little while Kou looked nervously between the two, outside the revelries of the celebrating soldiers rang throughout the area, they would continue to do so until alcohol and exhaustion would take its toll and send most collapsed on the group asleep.

"Then do you hate me Emiya Shirou?"

The question came without anger, fear not with any assumptions. It was merely the question of a man who wished to know the thought set of the man sitting opposite him.

Shirou on the other hand was quiet understandably flustered. After all while he may look weak and lazy, this man is the head of state of the land he is currently sitting on. Not to mention while he had acknowledged that he was currently not in his own world line it would be hard to find anyone from his world who have not grown up knowing who the warlord Oda Nobunaga was.

"Oh course not Lord Oda, this civil war was not your fault an-"

His almost reflexed response was quickly interrupted by the calm voice of Nobunaga.

"But the fault is mine, after all a civil war only breaks out when enough people have come to resent or become dissatisfied with the current ruler. One could argue that the fact that thousands of families will now be missing a father, a brother or a son all comes down to my weakness and my inability to lead the Oda properly."

So can you still say you bear no resentment to me? You who wished this war to have not happened in the first place."

"I.." Shirou could not speak, he struggled to answer. To explain the complex feelings even he didn't truly understand.

"I don't hate you." He finally forced out, he couldn't explain the rest of his feelings but he could say that with absolute confidence.

"I definitely don't hate you, you are a good person and from the reputation I had heard of you while I travelled as well as meeting you in person I know you are a benevolent ruler. I do not regret fighting for you at all…I merely wish I could have saved more people."

The last part was said in an almost desperate manner.

He wasn't sure if he was still feeling the effects from the battle earlier or if it was from quiet almost baring his soul in front of a man he barely met two days ago however Shirou felt incredibly tired.

"I see." Said Nobunaga as he accepted the response, despite the vagueness of it he couldn't help but feel that he had just received a giant clue on the enigma that was named Emiya Shirou.

Gently taking the bottle away from Kou's grasp he filled a small plate of wine. He then raised it and offered it Shirou and held his own serving level with his cup.

"Then let us have a toast." Noticing Shirou's reluctance, Nobunaga added. "Not to today's victory but to the fact that the two of us are lucky enough to enjoy this peace."

He couldn't help but then grin cheekily before adding, "Especially while we're both being served by such a beautiful young princess."

"Brother!" exclaimed a blushing Kou.

Shirou however was almost shocked with such a quick change in mood. The heavy tension from earlier had completely dissipated instead replaced by the open smile of the Oda lord.

However he quickly recovered, smiling as he received the drink gratefully. "Yes that definitely is something I will drink to."

Even he couldn't resist a bit of teasing as he added in, "After all it's not every day I get tended to by such a cute girl."

Kou merely remained silent as she pouted, desperately willing away her furious blush as the two men laughed at her expense.

The next morning Shirou was summoned once more by Nobunaga. Despite spending a rather long time with the Oda lord in the short time frame they knew each other Shirou was still unsure about what he thought of the man.

While he appeared and usually was easy going the man seemed to being surprisingly mysterious, especially when at times his tone could be as sharp as a blade and firmer then stone.

However if there was one thing Shirou could discern form his conversations with Oda Nobunaga was that he could definitely believe that were it not for his sickness.

Oda Nobunaga would have become the man who could of united Japan.

"Ah there you are Shirou; please take a seat and join us for breakfast."

Giving his own greetings he took a seat.

"Good morning Mr Emiya please have some tea."

Smiling at Kou he accepted the warm drink before deciding to correct her.

"Please Kou don't call me Mr Emiya, makes me feel too old and it would be too weird if you were the only one between us who were so formal."

"Eh? So should I call you Emiya?"

At that reply he made a show of pretending to think hard behind

"No, call me Shirou!" he exclaims while nodding.

"Eh! But that's too informal!"

Flustered Kou began to blush slightly at the dismissal of social protocol.

Her protests were interrupted by the laugh of Nobunaga as he warms Shirou lightly.

"Oh you should act so familiar with my cute little sister; I have no intentions of handing her over yet."

"Brother! You can't possibly, but me and Emiya; eh but." Kou further flustered by the teasing of her brother was then calmed by the patting of her brother.

Pat, Pat.

"Hee, hee Kou you're too cute."

"Brother …"

Putting out a pout as she released she was being teased; Shirou smiled as he took a sip of tea. While their physical appearance and even personalities were of complete opposite, the youthful beauty definitely reminded him of Illya. In fact the current scene in front of him reminded him of the simpler days back in Fuyuki.

The fact that those days now remained absent still saddens him.

His musings were cut off as Nobunaga turned his attention back to him after successfully pacified Kou.

"Shirou, I am the kind of person who will say; those who conquer other countries can go ahead. I'm not interested in such things. However as you saw yesterday not everybody is in support of such a lackadaisical policy."

Along with my sickness I am no longer capable of leading Oda to unify Japan. As such if things remain as they are, Japan will never find peace as this era of warring states will keep on going."

This statement had been in fact a question, a question so obvious that even someone as dense as Shirou could understand.

"You were being serious when you were asking me to lead Oda."

It was astounding how powerful that one sentence was; after all just yesterday a civil war was fought so Oda Nobunaga could retain his position as the head of state. However here was the man offering the position to a person he just so happened to meet at a dango restaurant.

"Of course, after all you said you wish to save as many people as possible correct?"

The question was almost rhetorical.

"Of course."

"Then save the many future generations from the burden of living through the warring states era. This path will be bloody, but will be nothing but be a drop in the ocean compared to the many who have suffered till now and those who potentially may suffer."

"But I have no idea how to lead a state." He began, he wasn't sure if he wanted to lead Oda. He wasn't even sure if he agreed with the words of Nobunaga. To kill the few to save the many that kind of thought was so fundamentally wrong. Yet at the same time hadn't he already understood that to save everyone was impossible?

But there was still a part of him that wanted to try, no not just want _need _to try. The man called Emiya Shirou was as stubborn and hard to bend as his swords at times. But could he also turn down this offer?

"All you have to do is take care of military affairs; Kou will assist you with domestic issues. So will you do it?"

"I don't think I'm cut out for it."

"But nor am I and unfortunately Kou is too young and pretty to take such stressful job, what would I do if she grew stress marks, and in such a young age."

Pat, Pat.

"Brother…" Kou didn't even protest at the teasing, she was just worried looking at her brother.

It seemed Nobunaga wasn't going to make this easy. But Shirou wasn't sure he could rule though, in fact despite Nobunaga's promise before the battle he doubted that he would be so willing to give control to someone he just met a few days ago.

How does one even rule a feudal state? I t was hard to believe just eight years ago he was nothing but a high school student whose only notable trait was his ability to fix things.

But could he reject it? When accepting could mean he was capable of not just saving individuals but hundreds and thousands?

"I accept."

With two words the path of Japan was changed.

As the two walked upon the wooden floorboards which paved the manor Shirou gave Kou who was leading the two an inquiring look.

"_Kou it seems I will have to burden you once more, please help Emiya lead Oda. Please forgive this useless brother."_

For Nobunaga to take such drastic actions what were his true intentions behind this?

Kou eventually broke the silence between the two not breaking pace as they kept walking.

"Brother is really sick, more so then he lets on. We don't know how long his going to last and he worries what will happen to me once he is unable to protect me."

Shirou stayed quiet allowing Kou to continue.

"There was a reason why he keeps going on about the dango restaurant. Should anything happen to Oda, we would most likely have to go into hiding."

As she talked tears began to well up in her eyes, were these tears of worry for her brother? Or the bitter sweetness of having a brother who would go leaps and bounds for her despite his illness.

"Don't worry, we'll just simply find a doctor; there has got to be one capable of curing your brother in Japan. We'll just simply find him. "

Pausing to look up at the reassuring smile given by Shirou she also smiled lightly before quickly brushing away her unshed tears.

"Then we shouldn't waste time Mr Emiya, the council is just around the corner."

"Oh? But didn't I tell you to call me Shirou?"

Shirou chuckled gently as she flushed, "I could never be so informal! It would also be so embarrassing and-".

Still smiling, he quietly took the lead as a stuttering Kou ran to keep up.

"Ah, Mr Emiya, wait up!"

His introduction as the current Lord of Oda was surprisingly mixed. Shirou expected complete opposition to his appointment. However while many did voice their dissent almost just as many gave their approval.

Further discussion however was quietened by the pleading of Kou.

"Please everyone, for both my sake and brother's please giving your support to Emiya."

As the court fell silent Shirou then understood the loyalty the young princess she inspired. While she did not have the firm voice or intimidating strength of a strong ruler, her youth and beauty along with her kind personality was more than enough to make up for it. Whether it was intentional or not Kou's innocence had turned everyone into a doting older brother who did not want anything but to protect and spoil her.

Breaking the silence an elderly voice addressed the court. "If Princess Kou has asked us of it, then who are we to do anything but obey?"

"We should be ashamed for even questioning her highness! Ashamed!"

"Kou looked so anxious, it is so sad how we have forced such a young girl into such a stressful position."

Shirou turned to face the source of the voices and then proceeded to blink.

Then when he done he decided to do it once more.

"Ah Emiya, this is 3G he has been my teacher and has worked closely with me and my brother for many years and is a trusted advisor."

Kou introduced, though Emiya was still trying to grasp on the appearance of this new person.

"You have three faces…or is it three heads…I don't….what?"

"Ohohoho, you are not the first to be so baffled by my appearance Emiya Shirou. I am a Youkai and while it is unusual for you please allow me to lend you my aid."

Shirou finally snapped out of his daze, it was after all quite unlike him to be rude human or not.

"Thank you, please take care of me."

Offering his own small bow he couldn't help but slightly shiver when his eyes met the man in front of him, he couldn't help but think he was going to be forced into something unpleasant as the glint in 3G's eyes reminded him eerily of Tohsaka Rin.

"Now it wouldn't do for our new lord to be unacquainted with his land please start with these reports. I'm sure with someone as youthful as you should get by with no problem."

Even Kou had a certain insidious gleam to her eyes quiet in contrast to her usual graceful demeanour. Her kind smile did not reach her eyes as she guided him toward a table with writing devices and more noticeably a large pile of scrolls and paper.

"It's important for the lord to establish domestic policy so the country can thrive."

So Emiya Shirou was introduced with the wonders of paperwork… He wondered if this was karma for teasing Kou too much.

So over the weeks Emiya busied himself as under the guidance of Kou and 3G he slowly became more acquainted with the land and people of Owari as well as the political landscape of Japan.

* * *

Emiya had just woken up and was proceeding to the main dining hall for breakfast.

He was surprised when he saw one dressed in tight, what appeared to be leather armour. Short purple hair went down to her neck, though what was most noticeable feature was the fact that she currently had a long Katana strapped onto her right shoulder.

"Good morning, Ranmaru is it?"

She barely acknowledges him and walks by.

"….eh, did I do something wrong?"

* * *

"Um…Emiya I'd like to ask something of you."

"Oh Emiya is it now? I thought I told you to call me Shirou."

Kou pouts, "It's not respectful to address the lord of the state in such a familiar manner."

Shirou raised an eyebrow, "Isn't it even more disrespectful to not listen to his orders though?"

Kou spluttered as she tried to think up an excuse before whining when she realized That Shirou was teasing her.

"Mou, Emiya is being meant today."

Shirou continued to chuckle, he couldn't help it. While Kou was almost completely opposite to Illya, Kou's youth and naivety reminded him of her constantly and brought out his 'inner big brother' so to speak.

"Anyway you were going to ask me something earlier?"

"Ah, right I wanted-"

The two were interrupted however by a new arrival.

"Oh, you're here!"

It was hard not to recognize the voice behind that, after all this was the same voiced capable of echoing across battlefields.

"How are you doing, Princess Kou?" Exclaimed Katsui Shibata, despite the earliness and setting the man was still wearing his golden armour as he rushed up to the two.

"Hello General Katsui", replied Kou as she saw the man approach.

Shirou was then mildly disturbed when the usually brazen general immediately started to act like a shy eleven year old as he hesitantly offered Kou a hair stick with an apple ornament.

"U-um…I brought you this. I bought it since it looks so cute. I think it's a bit cheap for someone like you to wear, but will you accept my gift?

As Kou accepted the gift and continued the conversation an alarm inside Shirou's head was going off and a small part of his brain was waving red danger flags as the 'inner big brother' was beginning to be more than a little worried.

"Hehe, then I shall be going now", said Shibata before blushing and leaving.

When he disappeared around the corner Shirou merely gave Kou a look as she awkwardly held the hairpin and blushes when she notices the stare directed her way.

"Um…yea he kind of likes me." She explains struggling to rationalize the actions of the general.

"So you mean his a lolicon."

"No it's just that he likes brother and me, he just spoils me sometimes!"

As Kou desperately attempted to retain the honour and dignity of the over-affectionate general, Shirou just shook his head in disbelief.

"And I thought I stopped having to deal with them when Illya grew up."

* * *

Despite somehow becoming the lord of a country, he had found himself to frequent the small dango house multiple times a week as he sought to relax when not managing the various issues and problems of a feudal state.

It was on one such visit on a slow day he found himself once more in conversation with Oda Nobunaga.

"So how are you managing, oh Lord Emiya?"

"Don't you start with the Lord Emiya, I think I heard enough of that to last me a lifetime."

Nobunaga laughed as he reached towards the stove to take the kettle off. Finding the tea leaves he started the slow and long process of serving tea, while it wasn't a proper tea ceremony Shirou couldn't deny that the man seemed well experienced in the practice.

"So how are the duties of ruling a country?"

Shirou groaned as he complained about the paperwork, it didn't help that while it was Japanese most of the writing was written in an old traditional style that went beyond the standard education he learnt when he attended high school.

"Oh I see Kou and 3G have mercilessly pushed all the paperwork to you, quite sly of them."

While 3G and Kou were more than willing to pick up the slack when he fell ill, it didn't miss his eyes how almost a small piece of their soul died whenever additional reports get delivered just when the pair finish their current workload. If it wasn't because he was ill, he would have found the circumstances hilarious.

Speaking of which…

*Cough* *cough*

Nobunaga quickly turned to the side and coughed into his hands violently as Shirou quickly stood to grab some water.

Nodding gratefully as Shirou handed the man a cup, he took a long swill of the clear drink before calming again as he coughs subsided.

"Nobunaga…"

Oda Nobunaga merely gave Shirou another glance before focussing once more on preparing tea.

"Usually I can control myself better; its fortunate Kou wasn't here to see this."

Looking at the smile Nobunaga gave him in an attempt to ease him; Shirou wasn't fooled as he asked the sickly man.

"How is your sickness?"

The ex-lord did not reply immediately, in fact he continued to finish up on the tea and then offered to Shirou, who silently accept and made to drink before asking a question that sent the young man choking and coughing.

"Will you marry Kou?"

Sounding much like the sick Oda lord from before, Shirou cough and gasped as he struggled to get air back through his throat.

"What?" Thinking it was a joke Shirou looked questioningly at the brother who just offered his sisters hand in marriage.

What he found on Nobunaga's face wasn't the gleeful reaction of seeing someone get tricked but instead of a tired old man whose sickness robbed away his youth.

It was then Shirou realized the true meaning behind the question. It was not a proposal but an answer, to his question earlier.

"I would be fine you know? You're a good man Emiya; the fact that you took the job seriously these past few weeks and haven't done anything at all selfish is proof of that."

Shirou merely shook his head, he did not, could not; believe that the man in front of him was that sick. Just several days ago he was happily making dango and giving out bags of chestnuts with pictures of Kou on them.

"She needs you more then she needs me, you're her brother not me."

Nobunaga merely looked Shirou in the eye.

"It is precisely because of that, I am asking you Emiya Shirou. I am dying and before I pass on I want her to be safe, no I _need _to know she will be safe. "

While Shirou could understand the man's worry he was confused, after all wasn't Kou loved by the people and held a lot of support in the court, it was hard to believe that Nobunaga would trust him someone who came along several weeks ago over the trusted vassals who served him for years.

"It doesn't matter if Kou is favoured by the people or by the court."

Nobunaga went to grab something inside his robes, and began to unwrap. Shirou's was surprised to find it was a map of Japan.

"Currently Oda is here." He pointed Owari marked with a red flower which lay right in the middle of Japan. Then he pointed to a territory marked with an elaborate shuriken design

"To the west lies Iga, who have already severed ties with Oda, the same to the east with Tokugawa, but what is most worrisome is this."

Pointing to the north there was a large territory twice the size of Owari. It was marked with what appeared to be a heart that's been set on its side.

"Ashikaga who have already invaded us once to secure more territory and most likely to do it again, if it wasn't bad enough the Hara Shouji the leader of the Hara faction has married Ashikaga Aki."

Shirou could already see the perilous position Oda was in as Nobunaga explained things in detail.

"Beyond that are the Takeda who have already made their intentions clear that the wish to conquer Japan. Uesugi and Houjou keep them in check however should either of them fall Takeda will likely easily take the other, most likely taking control of North Japan. "

Then there's the Shimazu who have already gotten most of the south and control the only bridge to the continent, meaning they benefit enormously economically and probably possess the best equipped military in the country. They are only held in check by the Mouri whose head Mouri Motonari is an army just by himself. "

Nobunaga looked at Shirou right in the eye; Shirou couldn't help but slightly shiver, once again the sickly and friendly Oda Nobunaga had disappeared; instead sat a warlord who once had eyes to conquer Japan.

"Each and every one of them can potentially end Oda; in fact we are lucky to survive so long in the first place. However it is a matter of time, and when that happens the guards, the politicians and the people who all vow to protect her will either be gone or betray Kou themselves."

Oda Nobunaga breathed out and almost as if going with was the Nobunaga who was a warlord.

"I told you earlier that if you had to conquer Japan, however I'm not that kind of guy I'm more than happy to spend my days here in Owari. I just want to make sure Kou is safe before I pass on. That day against Nobuyuki you proved that you were more than strong enough to protect her, she is already quiet beautiful and more so when she grows up."

He let himself chuckle. "Just don't let her cook for you."

"Then I'll just conquer Japan."

Nobunaga was the process of taking a sip from his tea when he stopped halfway, his eyes wide as they look towards Shirou's.

"You said something earlier as well, if I truly want to bring peace to Japan I have to remove all borders and unify the people. So that's what I'll do I'll make sure Kou will never come to harm."

Shirou's eyes blazed in determination as he returned a look back at Nobunaga who still look at him surprised.

"I thought…you didn't want to fight in fact despite spending the last month ruling you haven't even done anything to imply that you wanted to conquer anything not to mention Japan."

Shirou scratched his head sheepishly at that reply.

"Well…you're right however it's something that must be done. I just wanted to get the domestic issues in order because if I don't she scolds me pretty harshly you know? Not that I'm scared of her but she kind of reminds me of a little sister so I don't want to disappoint her…"

As Shirou began to ramble Nobunaga laughed, for once feeling more alive than he had in years.

"Hahaha… I knew I was right in trusting you"

Placing a hand on Shirou's shoulder he quietly told Shirou, "Then I leave Oda and Kou to you."

Shirou smiled, "Don't die on me yet, I'll make sure you see a united Japan and a Kou happily married before you pass away."

"Hehe, is that you accepting Kou's marriage proposal?"

"Not in that way!"

~3~

Sorry for the delay guys, hopefully as I improve both my writing quality and quantity will go up for.

I like to thank everyone for their responses as well as criticism because that's something I definitely want as a fledging writer!

Addressing come concerns regarding Shirou's power level and personality, I do agree with some points you've made after all one of the things that made me stop reading a lot of fanfiction (Naruto in particular) is just the abundance of OOC and God! Naruto's whose only relevance to Naruto is that the two characters share the same name.

I'm trying not to do that so I like to justify my Shirou a bit. First of all I will make a confession is that I part of the reason why I made Shirou like this is because rather than develop him as an Enforcer gone AWOL, or as a hero I wanted him to slowly become a general and a warrior.

So therefore having him just shoot off Caliburn would be rather stupid in the way writing works because it would just make things seem too easy. It would turn out a bit like that Onepunch man crossover, which while brilliant would be hard to write beyond a one-shot format as it would be hard to develop any tension or action in general.

That's why in this crossover This Shirou is the Fate ending Shirou, the least powerful version who had minimal exposure to Archer and whose only trump card Avalon was given to Saber before she disappeared. This means that he is very far away from Unlimited Blade Works to the point where he doesn't even know it exists and his tracing is limited but better thanks to the help of Tohsaka and Illya.

Also in regards to him dismissing the Holy Grail War, this Shirou is one that decided to pursue the path of a hero after the Holy Grail War and went off to various warzones to be this hero. There he will see casualty centres filled to the brim of wounded and dying, people missing limbs, eyes and organs. This was the guy who had entered a battlefield where hundreds are dying on the shores of a beach in the Pacific. Compared to his experiences in the 5th HGW it just lacks the scale of a true war.

While yes weapons capable of destroying the planet were used, that doesn't mean the sheer horror it caused was on par with an actual war. By your definition the small skirmishes that are fought in anime like Dragonball Z are wars because the participants all have powers capable of levelling cities and planets.

So comparing his experience in a real war where he was forced to watch hundreds of thousands kill each other while the casualties numbered in the millions in HGW it was more of a battle royale between beings of incredible power. Is like comparing apple and oranges.

However you are right that Shirou's personality is quite awkward, in fact I believe his characterisation is my weakest area and I will try to work on that.

Also apologies for the lack of spellchecking last chapter, and I encourage more criticism as it lets me get my head thinking as well as improve my writing. Until next time.


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